1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to piano actions, or more specifically the mechanisms in pianos that transmit motion from a piano player's fingers into motion of a hammer, located inside the piano, causing the hammer to strike a piano string, thereby producing sound or music from the piano. A piano action is a complicated assembly of smaller mechanical components. In every piano, there is a separate piano action and hammer corresponding to each piano key, where there are typically 88 keys in a piano.
Piano actions are an assembly of smaller mechanical components that transmit motion from a piano key to a hammer, where this is accomplished, in part, by the rotational motion of the action's smaller mechanical components or subcomponents. Rotating subcomponents include: the hammer butt, the whippen, and the damper lever. Rotational motion requires a fixed center-of-rotation point. Thus, each of the subcomponents listed above have a fixed center-of-rotation point. Mechanically, these centers-of-rotation are created with flanges that are securely affixed to stationary rails in the piano, where the centers-of-rotation are center pins or hinge pins located in the flanges to form a hinge member. Thus, each hammer butt, whippen, and damper lever in a piano action rotates around a center pin or hinge pin, held steady by a flange that is affixed to a stationary rail inside the piano. This invention relates to these three flanges of a piano action: the hammer butt flange, the whippen flange, and the damper flange.
2. Description of Related Art
A center pin or hinge pin in an action flange is a pivot point for the rotating subcomponents of the piano action. A piano action flange is a rigid flat oblong-shaped article, with a hinge on one end and a mounting hole or screw hole on the other end. Said hinge comprises one or two hinge pin holes, where a center pin or hinge pin is installed. Said hinge pin holes are positioned to run perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the action flange and parallel to the top surface of the action flange. In the case of a flange with one hinge pin hole, the hinge pin hole is located on the center of the flange, where the hinge pin hole would mate with two other hinge pin holes on the action component, to mesh and align with each other, so that the hinge pin may be installed into all three hinge pin holes, the one on the flange and the two on the action part, to create a hinge member pivotally connecting the flange to the action part. In the case of a flange with two hinge pin holes, the two hinge pin holes would mate with an action component with one hinge pin hole, to stratal and align with the hinge pin hole on the action component, so that the hinge pin may be installed into all three hinge pin holes, the two on the flange and the one on the action part, to create a hinge member pivotally connecting the flange to the action part.
At the other end of a piano action flange, there is one mounting hole or screw hole that runs completely through the flange, perpendicular to the hinge pin. The mounting hole is used to mount the flange to the stationary rail in the piano. This is accomplished by screw means, placing a flange screw through the mounting hole and threading the flange screw into a tapped hole located in the rail to affix the flange to the rail. With this design, the flange screw must be completely removed in order to remove the flange and or the action subcomponent that the flange is hinged to. Periodic removal of these items is required for proper maintenance and care of the piano.
This invention does not teach the use of a mounting hole in a piano action flange. This invention teaches the use of a “slot that is open on one end” to secure all flanges to the rail. With this design, flanges and action subcomponents may be removed, replaced, and maintained without the former requirement of completely removing the flange screw in order to remove a flange or the action part hinged to the flange.